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This photograph taken on April 10, 2024, shows a detail of the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee (Cojo), in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris. Bertrand Guay, AFP

This photograph taken on April 10, 2024, shows a detail of the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee (Cojo), in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP)

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Paris Olympics

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721570789294AFP__20240410__34P64PT__v1__Preview__FranceOlyParis2024Presser.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This photograph taken on April 10, 2024, shows a detail of the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee (Cojo), in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris. Bertrand Guay, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This photograph taken on April 10, 2024, shows a detail of the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee (Cojo), in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris. <em>Bertrand Guay, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>PARIS, France -- Paris Olympics supremo Tony Estanguet said Sunday that the city was &quot;ready&quot; for the Games as he played down complaints from some residents and businesses about the impact of the event.</p><p>&quot;We are ready as we head into the final phase,&quot; Estanguet told a press conference in Paris, five days from the opening parade next Friday.</p><p>He added: &quot;For as long as the closing ceremony hasn&#x27;t finished, we need to remain vigilant. But today we are exactly where we would have dreamed of being a few years ago.&quot;</p><p>Finishing touches are being applied to the venues across the City of Light and thousands of athletes and officials are pouring in, while the weather has also brightened up after months of rain.</p><p>In a further boost for organizers, the water quality of the river Seine -- which is set to be used for outdoor Olympic swimming events -- has also improved dramatically since the start of July.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/17/paris-mayor-to-take-dip-in-seine-ahead-of-olympics-1117">READ: Paris mayor takes pre-Olympics dip to prove Seine clean</a></div><p>&quot;All the indicators for the Seine are positive at this stage,&quot; Estanguet added.</p><p>The river is set to host the opening ceremony next Friday which will see 6,000-7,000 athletes sail down it on 85 barges and boats.</p><p>It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, with up to 300,000 ticketed spectators set to watch from stands and on the river banks and another 200,000 expected to watch from the overlooking apartments.</p><p>Around 4,000 tickets are still available, Estanguet said.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ve always tried to maintain as high a level of ambition as possible so that these Games make France shine,&quot; Estanguet added.</p><div><strong>- &#x27;Disruption&#x27; -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-ris6lRCHBU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/>The vast security operation required for the opening ceremony is causing some friction, however, with large parts of central Paris along the banks of the river and around Olympic venues off-limits for most people.</div><p>Trade groups representing Paris shops, restaurants, bars and clubs complained on Friday that they were facing an &quot;unprecedented slump in business and footfall&quot;, blaming in part the &quot;heavy security measures&quot;.</p><p>&quot;It was always a choice made in full conscience that the success of Paris 2024 would mean having the Games in the city,&quot; Estanguet explained. &quot;That was the completely unprecedented concept for Paris 2024.&quot;</p><p>As well as the opening ceremony in the heart of the city, much of the sport is set to take place at temporary venues around Paris, with beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower, archery at the Invalides and skateboarding at the Place de la Concorde.</p><p>&quot;We can&#x27;t do it without some disruption. We can&#x27;t do it without some restrictions,&quot; Estanguet said. &quot;We tried to anticipate these restrictions and we communicated them a long time in advance.&quot;</p><p>He thanked &quot;those who have understood this because it&#x27;s really to honor our country in the most beautiful way.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/19/athletes-begin-to-arrive-at-the-olympic-village-for-the-2024-paris-games-1602">WATCH: Athletes begin to arrive at the Olympic Village for the 2024 Paris Games</a></div><div><strong>- Security -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jCuYokqWxDc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/>Around 45,000 members of the French security forces are set to be on duty on Friday evening when the Olympics kick off at 7:30pm (1730 GMT).</div><p>&quot;Security was the number one priority for Paris 2024,&quot; Estanguet said.</p><p>Cybersecurity is also a major concern, with a global IT outage last Friday caused by an update to CrowdStrike software leading to temporary disruption to the accreditation system used for the Games.</p><p>The International Olympic Committee said it was bracing for disinformation attacks targeting the sporting extravaganza following recent incidents blamed on Russia.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/9/france-in-turmoil-as-it-prepares-to-host-the-world-for-olympics-1221">READ: France in turmoil as it prepares to &#x27;host the world&#x27; for Olympics</a></div><p>Just 15 Russians and 17 Belarusians are accredited to compete as neutrals as most sports have banned Russians and their allies in response to the invasion of Ukraine.</p><p>&quot;Clearly there is a campaign of some sort going on,&quot; IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Saturday.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s not the first or last time that the IOC will be targeted with misinformation. It&#x27;s getting more and more sophisticated.&quot;</p><p>Adams was responding to a question concerning a feature-length fake documentary that emerged in 2023 titled &quot;Olympics has Fallen&quot; which used AI-generated audio to impersonate Hollywood star Tom Cruise.</p><p>The film, falsely purporting to be a Netflix documentary, was apparently designed to erode global support for the Olympics.</p><p>Elsewhere, the star-loaded USA men&#x27;s basketball team came close to a stunning defeat to South Sudan in a warmup game in London on Saturday.</p><p>LeBron James scored the decisive points on a driving layup with eight seconds remaining to secure <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/21/lebron-rescues-usa-from-south-sudan-shock-in-olympic-warm-up-1522">a 101-100 win</a> at the O2 Arena.</p><p>&quot;The ending was good for us -- just to feel that, to feel what it&#x27;s going to feel like in Paris,&quot; USA coach Steve Kerr said.</p><p>&quot;Good reminder that when we play against teams, it&#x27;s the biggest experience of their lives and we have to expect everyone to play like that.&quot;</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gz4VwcHBnuo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div>

<p>Paris Olympics supremo Tony Estanguet said Sunday that the city was "ready" for the Games as he played down complaints from some residents and businesses about the impact of the event.</p>

Paris Olympics supremo Tony Estanguet said Sunday that the city was "ready" for the Games as he played down complaints from some residents and businesses about the impact of the event.

'We're ready', say Paris Olympics organizers

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'We're ready', say Paris Olympics organizers

Agence France-Presse,

Adam Plowright

Published Jul 22, 2024 06:00 AM PHT

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Updated Jul 23, 2024 08:33 PM PHT

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